How to Build a Home Recording Studio on a Budget? – Part 3

by Ken

in Home Recording Studio

(Click this link if you want to see Part 1?)

(Click this link if you want to see Part 2?)

“Dave, I have $xxxx to spend on Home Recording gear…What should I buy?”

Dave SSL Room2In this 3rd part today, we’ll cover what recording equipment to buy with budgets of:

  • $4,500
  • $7,500

Please feel free to let us know if you found these examples useful. Just use the Comments section at the end of each post.

Thanks!

Many thanks too to Dave, our home studio recording expert, for his advice in this series.

Ken Johnstone
(Publisher)

PS: Of course there’s much more than just budget to consider. Click this link for more information on our step by step guide to selecting sound recording software and equipment – that works .

Dave, I have $4,500 to spend on Home Recording Studio Equipment, what should I buy?

You will be able to get some great music studio equipment with this level of budget. Go to your favorite online store, or click the links provided below, and buy:

  • Shure SM58 Dynamic Microphone $100 – This all purpose, durable microphone is a basic good quality piece of studio equipment. Plug it into your friend’s computer and start recording using Pro Tools Free downloaded from the Digidesign website and record using this.The new AKG C 414 B-XLS Condenser Microphone has undergone numerous refinements to reach its current version. The AKG C 414 has been a studio workhorse for many years. It now has a vastly improved capsule shockmount and switching. 1" diaphragm. 5 switchable polar patterns: omnidirectional, wide cardioid, cardioid, hypercardioid, and figure 8. 2-color LEDs indicate polar pattern and output overload. 3 switchable bass cut filters and 3 pre-attenuation pads with LEDs for quick reference. 20Hz to 20kHz frequency range. Signal to noise ratio of 88dB, A-weighted. Ideal for accurate, beautifully detailed reproduction of any acoustic instrument. Includes H 85 professional shockmount/stand adapter, PF 80 external pop filter, W 414 X external windscreen, and flight case.
  • AKG C414 B-XLS 5-Pattern Condenser Microphone ($950) – This microphone is great quality and very useful features. A must have in the recording studio. Great on acoustic guitars, vocals, drums, bass, electric guitars – almost anything.

Incorporating standard strip features, the 376 then adds more to make it an all-inclusive tool. The menu includes a tube preamp section, 3-band parametric EQ, compressor, de-esser, and digital outputs. Other features include a front panel instrument input, drive meter LEDs, threshold and de-esser meters, an eight-segment analog or digital meter, and a Type IV conversion system. Selectable sampling rates of 96, 88.2, 48, and 44.1kHz and 24, 20, and 16-bit word lengths add flexibility. Digital outputs include AES/EBU and S/PDIF. Word clock sync input and output are provided, and you can select dither and noise-shaping algorithms.

  • dbx 386 Dual Vacuum Tube Mic Preamp with Digital Out ($500) – A great channel processor with built in pre amp, eq, compressor and de esser. Not only does it sound good but it has an onboard A/D converter that sounds great and is virtually unclipable! This means you get a great quality digital input to your computer.
  • *Tascam CDR-788 CD Burner (<$200) – A CD burner is essential if you want to be able to output your music to CD to listen to on your personal stereo. If you already have one on your existing PC, most likely you’ll have a CD burning package included. If not, download Nero ($80), or CDBurnerXP Pro (free).
  • CDR 80-Minute 50-Pack – Blank CDRs in Spindle ($40) – You need to get some blank CDs to record onto!
  • Sennheiser HD25-1ii Professional Headphone – Studio Monitor Sealed ($180) These fantastic, flat-response headphones will let you hear very clearly what you are working on and you will start to learn to listen accurately to music before progressing to studio monitors. BE AWARE – Headphones do not give a totally accurate representation of sound but this is not really a problem for most people.
  • The Mackie HR624 Active Studio Monitor is a 2-way, biamplified, active system featuring the same HF transducer, cast-zinc wave guide, dual FR Series power amplifiers, and an integrated rear-firing passive radiator to increase bass response. Can be used as L/R monitors with or without a subwoofer, or as rear-channel sources for 5.1 and 7.1 surround systems. Features a 6.7" extended LF woofer and a 18" aluminum liquid-cooled tweeter. The amps provide 100W for the woofer and 40W for the tweeter. Inputs include 1/4", XLR balanced, and RCA unbalanced. Rear-panel controls include sensitivity, an 80Hz high-pass filter, a -2/0/+2dB HF shelving filter, an acoustic space control, and auto on switch.Mackie HR624MKII 2-Way Active Studio Monitor ($900) approx – This pair of reference monitors are great to start recording on. They give you accurate sound so you know what you are listening to. These are active monitors which means they don’t need a separate amplifier.
  • Apple Logic Studio Music Production Software $500 – The professional package for musicians wanting to write and record. This is a fantastic program that will do everything you need it to and more. (Apple Mac only)

or

The MOTU 828mkII FireWire/USB 2.0 audio interface is a great interface for studio or remote recording. Incredibly expansive in its level of control and versatility, the 828mkII delivers DSP-driven mixing and monitoring in any situation. At the studio, clubs, or rehearsal, you can connect anything you want and monitor it with no separate mixer needed. The superb front-panel control array and backlit LCD allow you to directly access the entire mix or individual settings. There's no channel sharing, either. Its 20 inputs and 22 outputs include 2 mic/guitar inputs, TRS analog I/O, separate main outs, 24-bit ADAT optical I/O, MIDI, sync, and 24-bit S/PDIF digital I/O up to 96kHz. Includes Audiodesk software, a sample-accurate workstation for Mac OS with 24-bit recording/editing and 32-bit automated mixing/processing/mastering. Mac/PC.

  • Mark of the Unicorn (MOTU) 828mk3 Firewire Audio Interface - Firewire 24/96 ($750) – The 828mkII contains everything you need to turn your computer into a powerful 24-bit, 96kHz digital audio workstation. The 828mkII provides 10 channels of pristine 96kHz analog recording and playback, combined with 8 channels of ADAT digital I/O and stereo S/PDIF. This great soundcard does all it’s processing externally.

Dave, I have $7,500 or more to spend on Home Recording Studio Equipment, what should I buy?

Now this is getting serious! You will be able to get some incredible music studio equipment with this amount of money. Click the links above and below to buy:

or…

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Tagged as: cheap recording studio equipment, find cheap recording studio equipment part 3, recording studio equipment

{ 1 trackback }

How to Find Cheap Recording Studio Equipment? – Part 2
November 13, 2009 at 8:26 pm

{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }

1 gina July 26, 2007 at 11:32 pm

thanks dave! you totally helped me out! thanks gorgeous

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